NEO lawmaker gets key role in state budget plansDeadly Cleveland police chase investigations to finish soonLima tank plant to stay open for nowStripper dies following fall

NEO lawmaker gets key role in state budget plansA veteran lawmaker from North Canton will chair an Ohio Senate panel responsible for managing the development of the next two-year state budget. Republican Sen. Scott Oelslager has served about 27 years in the Legislature. He was named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Senate President Keith Faber has created new committees to more closely reflect the complex issues contained in the budget. The General Assembly will spend most of the first half of the year debating Ohio's spending blueprint.

Deadly Cleveland police chase investigations to finish soonMore details should be known this month about a Cleveland police chase that ended with officers firing nearly 140 bullets into a vehicle, killing two people. Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath told a city council committee today that investigations should be complete this month. The city put together a panel to conduct an internal probe into whether the 13 officers acted properly. The Plain Dealer reports the state Attorney General’s office is examining radio transmissions, dash cam and surveillance video, along with interviews and bullet casings. The 22-minute, 100-mile-per-hour pursuit in November started after Cleveland police say they heard shots coming from Timothy Russell’s car and approached the vehicle. His passenger, Malissa Willaims also was killed. They were found to be unarmed.

Lima tank plant to stay open for nowA new defense spending plan will keep the nation's only tank manufacturing plant working for at least the next couple of years. Fighting on Capitol Hill over funding had put the northern Ohio factory's future in doubt. About 800 workers in Lima (LY'-muh) refurbish the Abrams tanks with new weapons and sophisticated systems. President Barack Obama last week signed off on a defense bill that includes $136 million for tank upgrades that only will maintain minimal production at the plant through 2014. The Pentagon had wanted to halt production for a few years because it said it will soon have enough tanks.

Stripper dies following fall A 22-year-old stripper who fell off a 15-foot balcony at a downtown Cleveland night club has died. Lauren Block was giving a lap dance at Christie’s Cabaret last week when she fell from the balcony, suffering head injuries. She died this morning at MetroHealth Medical Center. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the fall.